Hidden Dangers Of Cosmetic Products

In the US, literally thousands of people are suffering from adverse effects and reactions from cosmetic products. According to The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health, there are over 900 chemicals in cosmetics contents that have toxic substances and are dangerous to your health and well-being.

Decorative Contact lenses

You may want your eyes twinkle like your idol superstar but do you know that wearing decorative contact lenses can snatch your eyesight?

Decorative contact lenses carry the same risks as corrective contact lenses, including

conjunctivitis (pink eye);

corneal (the eye's outermost layer) ulcers;

corneal abrasion;

and vision impairment or blindness.

Further, sharing of contact lenses prescribed for one person can also lead to infections, abrasions, allergic reaction or blindness.

Food & Drug Administration (FDA) of America has received reports of corneal ulcers associated with the wearing of decorative contact lenses, especially when worn overnight.

Corneal ulcers, an infection of the eye, can progress rapidly if left untreated. Uncontrolled infection can lead to corneal scarring and vision impairment. In the most severe cases, this condition can result in blindness and eye loss.

Anti-Wrinkle Cream

"Age doesn't bring you wisdom, it brings you wrinkles." How true the words spoken by American actress, Estelle Getty. For years women all over the world are using the anti-wrinkles creams to look young and stay beautiful - to perennial despair.

Formally, collagen used in anti-wrinkle is crucial to keeping your skin as smooth as silk. Unfortunately as the years go by, collagen also ages and shrinks, contributing to wrinkles.

Lanolin, promoted as being able to 'penetrate the skin better than other oils', was found to contain pesticides, dioxins and known carcinogens.

Collagen, lanolin, liposomes, and elastin in the cream cannot get rid of wrinkles. They only help to moisturize and merely "make-up" up the skin to create unconvincingly youthful appearance. They cannot slow down or reverse the skins ageing process.

Just as eating bone would not repair a broken arm, applying an anti-ageing cream on your face won't repair or remake saggy skin. And vegetarians take note: Most collagen and elastin is waste from the meat industry!

Foundation

Many liquid foundation make-ups contain mineral oil, a suspected human carcinogen (cancer-causing agent). Mineral oil (classed as a petrochemical pollutant) can have negative effects on hormones and the skin's ability to breathe, attract moisture and detoxify.

It can also slow down cell renewal and causes premature ageing. In fact sunscreens produced from mineral oil may promote skin cancer as well as colon and breast cancer. However, no cosmetic manufacturers put health warnings on their products, and in the US, the FDA does not require this information to be on packaging.

Lipstick

The most toxic of all cosmetics.

Some lipsticks contain substances that can cause cancer, deformities and stillbirths. Many women also experience dryness, chapping, cracked and peeling lips from using lipsticks. Other problems that have been reported are inflamed eyes skin rashes, burns, numbness, swollen gums and respiratory problems.

The cause of the problems may be the perfume oils used, any of the colours, indelible dyes, vehicles for the dyes, or some of the other ingredients in the lipstick. It also contains lanolin, which can cause allergic reactions.

Nail Polish

A toxic product which should have a warning label. Contains phenol, toluene and xylene. Its basic ingredient is a formaldehyde resin which can cause discoloration and bleeding under the nails.

Phenol is suspected of causing cancer in humans, it can cause swelling, peeling, burning or breaking out in hives and pimples, if it comes into contact with skin.

Toluene is easily absorbed through the skin but eliminated slowly from the body. It can cause fatigue and weakness. Chronic exposure to toluene may bring in irritation of the mucous membrane, headache vertigo (giddiness) nausea and loss of appetite.

Nail polish removers are just as harmful. Its primary ingredient is acetone, a solvent which can cause your nails to become brittle and split, and can cause skin rashes to develop on your fingers.

The fumes from nail polish remover, when inhaled, can irritate your lungs and make you feel light-headed.